


Lies

by Festus



Series: Alice's Askran Adventures [5]
Category: Fire Emblem Heroes
Genre: F/M, Imma just say this now but if you are sensitive to things like suicide then please don't read this, OC Summoner, Rumor-Spreading, Suicide Attempts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-03
Updated: 2018-04-03
Packaged: 2019-04-06 14:58:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14059443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Festus/pseuds/Festus
Summary: Her question dropped down like brick of depression. He wanted to respond, to ask her if everything was alright, but she continued; "I sometimes have dreams of being trapped inside a glass room. There are no doors, no way out, no way in for anything, save for a hole in the ceiling where water pours out, filling the glass room. But the dream ends before it fills up. I wish it didn't though - I wish the room could fill up completely; then I might finally know what freedom is."





	Lies

**Author's Note:**

> hI YES THIS IS A THING, PREPARE TO SUFFER.
> 
> It is so badly written but I wanted to write about it anyway, so I might rewrite it later.

_"The day Alice summoned Grima, was the day that marked her emotional downfall._

_It was supposed to be a simple, calm session, one to take her mind off of the stress she felt. I had gone with her to help cast a sense of peace over the session - but not even I could keep an encounter with the Fell Dragon a calm one, much to my dismay. Instead, it was an encounter that ended in much discomfort from both my side, and hers. To be truthful, I was glad when we made it back to the castle, Grima in tow._ _And even though many of the Heroes had full faith in Alice, Grima's presence seemed to have immediately rid the castle of that faith._

 

_This is the story of how it all happened, all according to what was gathered from the Heroes, and from myself."_

 

* * *

 

Alice's semi-long, red hair swayed back and forth as she walked down the hallway. Her body language showed nothing but a droopy, tired state, no doubt because she had been overworking herself again. A couple of Heroes passed by, gave their greetings and continued on their way, though she didn't return them. Instead, she kept on walking - she ignored all that was about her, which was actually very unlike her. And it earned her some very concerned glances.

 

When she rounded the corner, she got a wary glance from Frederick, which was actually something she did manage to pay attention to. And while she wanted to continue further, she was stopped by the knight's hand, which seemed to squeeze her shoulder slightly. She could swear she could feel the gaze burning in her soul. Before the knight could even begin anything, a voice from further down had echoed from the end of the hall.

 

"Frederick, I kindly ask that you unhand the Summoner - clearly, she is mentally exhausted, and requires rest from today's work."

 

Alfonse's voice cut clear. His heels tapped against the floor as he took his steps, coming closer and closer to the two who had their very subtle skirmish. Frederick had been like this since Grima had "joined" the ranks of the Order of Heroes - "joined", since Alice never deployed him onto the battlefield. Anyway, once Alfonse was close enough to Alice and Frederick, the Askran Royal stared at Frederick with some sort of subtle annoyance at the knight's actions. He waited patiently until Alice was released, and once she was, she was quick to step behind him and grasp his arm, eyeing Frederick with some sort of fright.

 

* * *

 

 

 Alice stood on one of the balconies of the Askran Castle, droopy eyes looking over the landscape of Askr. One could see just how tired she was - bags were very prominent under her eyes, and her hunched shoulders showed a lack of energy. Truly, these past few days have continued to haunt her. Grima had gone about this past week, doing his normal lurking, and rumors of Alice potentially betraying the Order of Heroes had fluttered about, causing some to be distrustful of the Summoner, and now most Heroes didn't seem to talk to her as much as before - in fact, any interactions Alice has had with Heroes had been wary or nervous gazes.

 

Soft footsteps sounded behind her, and she looked around to see Chrom approach her. He was one of the few that didn't seem affected by the rumors, and kept loyal to Alice, much to her surprise. He gave a friendly wave, and stopped in front of the Summoner, a smile upon his dorky face. She took a moment to straighten herself, placing her hands behind her back and returning Chrom's smile.

 

"Greetings, Prince Chrom." Her hello was simple and short, much like most of what she said when tired.

 

~

 

Alice and Chrom had talked for a good amount of time. She had her elbows on the railing of the balcony, and Chrom leaned up against it with his back. For a good amount of time, there had been silence. And while it was a comfortable silence, Alice decided it was about time to break it. Without really moving, Alice hummed. "Mmm, Chrom?"

 

"Yes?" His blue eyes immediately looked down at Alice, whose green irises stared at the now setting sun. Her body seemed relaxed, which seemed very contrasting in regards to her next sentence.

 

"...Have you ever wondered what it'd be like to drown?"

 

Her question dropped down like brick of depression. He wanted to respond, to ask her if everything was alright, but she continued; "I sometimes have dreams of being trapped inside a glass room. There are no doors, no way out, no way in for anything, save for a hole in the ceiling where water pours out, filling the glass room. But the dream ends before it fills up. I wish it didn't though - I wish the room could fill up completely; then I might finally know what freedom is."

 

The Ylissean Prince furrowed his eyebrows, watching as Alice pushed herself from the railing. She yawned and cast a smile, before turning away from Chrom, who had no words that he could speak. She bid him a quiet goodnight and left the balcony. The prince was left bewildered and confused, but once Alice was completely gone, he made it a point to go talk to Alfonse about this... Concerning experience.

 

* * *

 

 "Lucius, have you seen the Summoner?" Alfonse stood before Lucius, a nervous gaze upon his face - it didn't go unnoticed by the holy man that Alice was rather fond of. Like Chrom, he was one of the few that stayed loyal to her, despite the rumor.

 

Lucius took a moment to study the prince's expression with a look of concern upon his own face. "She told me that she was going on a walk. Is something the matter?"

 

The Healer could only watch as Alfonse's face paled. The prince turned on his heel, and ran out of the castle. He was obviously determined to find Alice - luckily, he listened to his gut when it told him to keep his armor off today.

 

~

 

Alfonse could not feel more fear than he did now. He didn't know how far away he was from Alice when he saw her drop into the pond, but it wasn't close enough to be able to pull her out quickly - in fact, he managed to make it to the pond a minute after she hopped in, which made his heart beat faster when he jumped in after her, without hesitation.

 

When Alfonse spotted Alice, she already seemed to be unconscious, and the fear that gripped his heart grew tighter. With great panic, he swam down to her as fast as he could, taking her petite, small body and placing it over his shoulder - that way, he could use both hands to help "pull" himself up towards the surface once more. Everything was a blur to him, even as he got himself out of the water, Alice still over his shoulder.

 

The moment he had laid Alice on the ground, she began coughing, as if she was startled out of her unconscious state. She shakily turned to lay on her stomach, then lifted herself up somewhat, supporting herself with her shaky arms. Alfonse didn't dare touch her until she was done - and when she was, she was immediately pulled into the Prince's grasp. He could hear her stutter his name, but his mind was so unfocused that it sounded very muddled, as if she was trying to talk to him through a thick wall.

 

The silence that came from the prince was overwhelming. Her wet body shook from the cold and fright she felt, and she immediately took that as a signal to just bury her face into his chest and cry. She couldn't remember what had happened after that.

 

* * *

 

The sunlight poured into the infirmary, illuminating the room enough to see without really needing any other source of light. Alfonse sat on a chair by the bed Alice currently occupied, his elbows on his knees and his chin resting on his hands. He hadn't been able to sleep since he brought Alice back here, his mind was in too much of a nervous frenzy. So instead, he just sat by the Summoner and watched her, in case she woke up.

 

He took a moment to contemplate these previous events. Alice was depressed enough beforehand, and the stress of so many Heroes suddenly having a distrust for her had allowed her to spiral further down that depression. He sighed and buried his face into hands, thinking over what had happened when he brought her back.

 

~

 

_When Alfonse had walked into the castle, within the sight of plenty of Heroes, Chrom, Lissa, Sakura and Lucius were the first to approach. Worry stained their faces as the looked down at Alice - they noted how she looked so tired and distressed, even in this unconscious state. They all looked to Alfonse, as if silently asking for an explanation. The Askran Prince shook his head.  
_

 

_"Not here. I don't-" He started, then sharply inhaled. He looked down at Alice, then sighed. "...I don't want to announce it here." And with that, he brushed past the group, though they all followed him - they all figured he was gonna take them somewhere else to discuss what had happened. Chrom, being the Hero out of the four with the biggest attachment to Alice, had walked beside Alfonse, keeping a watchful eye on the Summoner in his arms._

 

_Once the group had made it to an empty hall, which led to the infirmary, Alfonse finally took a moment to explain. He stopped in his tracks, and Chrom looked to him, concern deepening. Lissa couldn't help but grab Chrom's arm, hoping the action would keep her calm - Sakura did the same with Lucius, and the older healer patted her head reassuringly._

 

_"...The stress of the suspicion surrounding Grima and Alice potentially betraying us had overwhelmed her." His voice shook. He tried to keep from crying, but the fact that Alice tried to take her own life was hard for the Askran Prince to accept. He slowly exhaled. "She tried to drown herself."_

 

_...Silence. Lissa had both hands over her mouth, and Sakura stared at Alice with a sorrowful gaze. Lucius placed a hand on Alfonse's shoulder, Chrom letting his hand rest on Alice's head. None of them said anything, but it was clear that the healers had some gears turning, wondering how exactly they could help take care of the Summoner with Alfonse._

 

_...Chrom swore he saw a tear fall from Alfonse's cheek and onto Alice._

 

~

 

Alfonse had a soft grip on Alice's hand, his head and arms resting on the edge of her bed. His thumb ran over her palm in a soothing motion. Her hand was cold, but it felt soft and fragile, and he wished to keep them that way. His baggy eyes were closed, and he was exhausted from being up all night - but he did not let himself sleep. He wanted to be awake for when Alice finally decided to come around.

 

He heard soft footsteps in the infirmary, prompting him to open his eyes and look up. It was Lucius. The healer had a tray in his hands, and on the tray was a plate with toast and scrambled eggs, as well as a cup of tea. Alfonse felt his lips curve upwards slightly - it was no wonder that Alice liked Lucius so much. Alfonse lifted his head from the bedside, his smile still reaching Lucius. "You're up early, Lucius..."

 

"I could say the same for you, Prince Alfonse. I have breakfast for you." The healer set the tray on the table by Alice's bed, then tilted his head at the unconscious teen. "Has she shown any sign of waking up?"

 

Alfonse was about to shake his head, but then she stirred... Her hand twitched in Alfonse's gentle grasp, and the prince's gaze shifted to her face. His smile widened once he saw her eyes open, confusion clear on her face. Immediately, the prince lifted himself to sit on the edge of her bed - and then he pulled her close to him, burying his face in her shoulder.

 

_"I'm so glad you're alive, Alice."_

**Author's Note:**

> N O R E G R E T S.
> 
> Anyway, Imma try to re-advertise for this project so then I can do something with it.  
> It is an ask blog for Alice - I want people to be able to interact with her on other platforms than just Google+.  
> https://askran-hero.tumblr.com/


End file.
